A landmark case that could redefine corporate responsibility for data security.

  • Morrisons granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court regarding a data breach.
  • The breach affected over 100,000 employees and involved sensitive personal information.
  • 5,518 claimants are seeking compensation for the data leak incident from 2014.
  • The Court of Appeal previously upheld the High Court’s decision on vicarious liability.
  • Legal representatives express confidence in achieving a favorable outcome for claimants.

Morrisons has received the green light to appeal to the Supreme Court after being held accountable for a significant data breach that impacted over 100,000 employees. This appeal comes after the Court of Appeal upheld a previous High Court ruling regarding vicarious liability in October 2018. The Court of Appeal, which included three senior judges, denied Morrisons the chance to appeal further, prompting the supermarket to seek Supreme Court intervention, which was granted on April 15, 2019. The data breach, which occurred in 2014, involved a senior internal auditor at Morrisons’ Bradford headquarters who copied and publicly shared sensitive payroll information online. This leak included bank account details, dates of birth, salary information, national insurance numbers, addresses, and phone numbers. Nick McAleenan, a partner at JMW Solicitors representing the claimants, expressed disappointment over the appeal decision but remains optimistic about achieving justice for the affected employees. He emphasized that employees had a right to expect their sensitive information to remain confidential and that the breach caused significant distress. The retail sector has reached out to Morrisons for further comments on the matter.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about the case, with no clear signs of sensationalism or personal perspective presented as fact. It reports on a legal decision and includes relevant details about the case and its progression through the courts.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about a data breach at Morrisons and the company’s appeal to the Supreme Court. It also includes quotes from a representative of the claimants. However, it lacks in-depth analysis or exploration of the consequences of the decision on those affected by the breach or any actionable insights for businesses to prevent similar incidents.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Morrisons (a UK supermarket company)
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses a data breach that affected more than 100,000 employees of Morrisons and the legal implications for the company. This has financial relevance as it impacts the reputation and potential financial losses for the company.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the text. The data breach incident has a minor impact as it does not involve significant deaths, injuries, or damage to infrastructure.

Reported publicly: www.retailsector.co.uk